Sunday, 10 January 2010

Well Like pretty much everywhere else in England...we still have the snow. Nothing at all is happening in the garden or down the allotment due to this. My brussels are still growing as is my purple sprouting broccoli and although the latter is fine I have quite a poor show of brussels. They are there on the stalks but quite tiny and because of this I haven't harvested any yet and I know that plenty of other people have harvested lots so I am quite disappointed. I had the same with my brussels last year but I thought then it was due to the fact that they went in so late. This year I was right on time with the planting so if anyone has any suggestions I would be very grateful!!Still waiting to see if I will get the extra land that I wanted...I don't know when I will find out about this but if I do get it I am seriously considering getting a greenhouse...this means I will have plenty of room for my pepper plants and I would really like to have a go at growing melons too....probably honeydew but not sure yet...and of course I have to see if I get the extra half plot...keep your fingers crossed for me!!!!

O.K. The post is called allotment foraging because I did manage to get down the plot this week although I didn't go to do anything on the plot...just for a scrounge! With all the snow that we've been having I have been breaking my back with shoveling out of the way so earlier in the week my Dad and I went down for a root around and found a couple of decent sized bits of hardboard so armed with these and some broom handles we made some snow shovels...(at least my Dad did and I am very grateful to him for mine...Thanks Dad!)

My snow shovel!!

They aren't anything spectacular but they do the job nicely and cut the shoveling time down by two thirds!!! Today is a little warmer in my neck of the woods and we have actually got to just above freezing point. Whilst this means some of the snow is slowly melting it hasn't stopped the snow falling from the sky and now instead of everywhere being white and dry, it's slushy, mucky and wet...I am so sick of it...enough already with the snow....bring me summer!!!!

I guess I can't complain so much as we haven't had it as bad as some places but I am seriously sick of my house looking like a chinese laundry and I don't even want to think about all the weeds that are being nicely insulated under all that snow! On the plus side, with all the shoveling of snow and ice that I've been doing, digging the allotment for planting isn't going to seem nearly as back breaking!!

13 comments:

Well done with your snow shovels! And I am definitely on your team re the weather - fun at first but it really is time for BBQ weather to come around now thank you very much!

I was just shamelessly wondering if you could spare five mins to answer a few allotment related q's for a university project? I've been all over the place interviewing people I've met by chance on different allotments and through various allotmenting groups and websites and have had such a brilliant response, but after collating all my records have just realised I don't have any women under the age of 42!

Hi Haylii...thanks for visiting...i really hope you come back again...I have answered your questions...hope it's ok....Oh and anyone else reading this why not go over and answer the questions at http://plot-spot.blogspot.com/

Kella...My Hubby offered to shovel but it gave me an excuse to be outside and active...something I'm missing terribly at the minute...my kids want the snow to stay if it's going to keep the schools shut..TYPICAL...lol

I felt the same way as you do about winter and the snow, but last year. We had two blizzards by this time last year. This year our winter is very similar to yours, but I'm having a great time compared to what I had then.

I've never grown brussels as I am the only person in our house who will eat them! At least the weeds don't grow much under the ice and snow. Our snow has thawed quite a lot today, so maybe things might get back to "normal" soon?!

Is there a post that describes what an allotment is? I have been looking at your blog for months because I am fascinated that you grow things all year. I can barely have a veggie garden for the summer. I must be doing something wrong.